Well, Hazel, you posted your scarlet taneger picture., so I will post my black-throated blue warbler picture. Plus a couple I really liked of a chickadee and a wood pecker. In a couple days I'll have some ready of a red-winged blackbird and some swallows.

those are such gorgeous pictures I almost hate to post mine!! *L*
this is/was my overnight visitor, poor thing tried to come in through the front window, after a night of warming up, I think he's ready to take flight, so right now he's in a large box with a branch, getting ready for take off. ummm what is he? *L*

Hazel, I was waiting around the last couple of days for you to post your new photos and didn't think to check here .

I love them all but the Indigo Bunting and Yellow-rumped Warbler are my absolute favorites .

Ownedbycats, I so love your photos too, especially the Woodpecker . And I'm so jealous of your cameras .

Melinda, taking care of that bird is very admirable .

And today...I saw my very first two Orioles , just when I said in one of klmccallum's threads the other day that I've never seen any before. I hope none of the neighbors were looking out their windows cuz I was so excited I squealed and pointed them out to Lucky . I did have my camera but I kinda scared them away to the tops of the trees and my zoom isn't strong enough . Do they stay in one area all season? I'm going to get dh to pick up some grape jelly tomorrow and hope they stick around for a while yet .

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"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -Will Durant

Lucky - a good camera helps but practice photographing and stalking the birds helps too. This is my second summer with my camera and I go for photo walks at least twice a week, if it's not raining. I practice walking up to the birds one step at a time. They look away, I step, freeze, take another step, freeze (and take a picture every step 'cause you never know when they will scare or just plain decide to move.) I usually do this in the same area, so partly it's me getting better and partly it's the birds getting used to me. The woodpeckers are noisy, making them easy to find so I pratice on them a lot. I swear they are starting to see me and go ,"oh, that thing again, ignore it, it's harmless."
That woodpecker shot was taken from only a couple feet away, broad daylight, no blind or anything. Of course, other birds take off if I get within a mile of them and no pictures.

And today...I saw my very first two Orioles , just when I said in one of klmccallum's threads the other day that I've never seen any before. I hope none of the neighbors were looking out their windows cuz I was so excited I squealed and pointed them out to Lucky . I did have my camera but I kinda scared them away to the tops of the trees and my zoom isn't strong enough . Do they stay in one area all season? I'm going to get dh to pick up some grape jelly tomorrow and hope they stick around for a while yet .

I'm so happy for you LP! If you get some kind of plastic container (dollarstore ones are great) for now and screw it down onto a post or flat surface and fill it with the jelly, they'll come back with their babies and friends and stay all summer!

It's so cute to see the bigger ones teaching the little ones how to eat the jelly out of the container. Last year, the little babies came up to the feeder around July.

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A dog wags his tail with his heart
Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff

Klm, I've got some in a shallow sour cream container hanging on a Shepherd's hook for now (I desperately want to keep the Orioles around) but, dh is getting a bunch of posts this weekend for me .

I plopped down nearby the bird feeder, not so much with the intention of photographing them but, just to observe. I did manage to get a few pics but the quality is awful when I use the zoom on my camera. I'll share though, just cuz I'm so excited about this .

We have lots of Doves...this fella wasn't as shy as his buddies hiding in the trees behind him.

He's got a beak-full .

This reminded me of my boys eating spaghetti when they were younger .

__________________
"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -Will Durant

One more question . Most of the birds feed off the ground (crows and squirrels usually hog the feeder ). I'm hopefully going to be putting up more feeders this weekend but, is that usual for the birds to not use the feeder?

__________________
"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -Will Durant

LP, if the feeders are being hogged by bigger birds or squirrels, it's not unusual for other birds to eat from the ground. We've got so many birds this spring that I fill all the feeders every morning and then throw another gallon and a half on the ground along the edge of the shrubs to accommodate everyone. If squirrels are a problem, some people will put out a squirrel feeder and fill it with unsalted peanuts-in-the-shell to keep them busy. Then the birds can eat in peace...at least till the peanuts are gone.

__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

Yep, probably. And there are probably more males than you think, too! I would have bet money that we only had one pair of orioles last year. One day I set up the blind to get some pics, put out the grape jelly, and suddenly there were three males queued up at the feeder!!! And of course they all had their lady-loves, too. This year we have over a dozen birds...they go through a 32 oz jar of jelly in less than 4 days, the gluttonous things!!!

__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

I love the Orioles,I am not sure where to put the Jelly though,I do not have an acreage like some of you girls..but I'll figure a way..

LP,in defense of Crows,I have never seen a Crow at my feeders,don't believe they eat seeds,peanuts yes,but no seeds.
At my house they eat left-overs
In this pics they are eating leftover pork-roast,hubs wanted a porksandwich for lunch,but he was too late..
"My"Crows have 3 babies already...